


I Don't Love You (or can I?)

by Rionaa



Series: We'll Have To Make It On Our Own [4]
Category: Bandom, My Chemical Romance
Genre: Aromantic Character, Asexual Character, Asexuality, Canon Non-Binary Character, M/M, Non-binary Gerard Way, Other, Sexuality, Working Out Sexuality
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-13
Updated: 2015-12-13
Packaged: 2018-05-06 13:08:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5418254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rionaa/pseuds/Rionaa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Frank thinks he might be broken. After all, everyone else manages to fall in love, right? But each time Frank finds someone he could fall in love with, something holds him back. Who would want to be stuck with him? He's broken, malfunctioning. You can't fall in love if you're asexual. Can you?</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Don't Love You (or can I?)

**Author's Note:**

> As a non binary asexual panromantic individual, this fic was a chance for me to explain some common misconceptions and get some things off my chest. I hope you find this helpful. Let me know in the comments if you have anything you want to change or point out!

Frank knew he was lonely. He knew he only had two real friends, and one of them was Pete Wentz. To be fair, the other one was Ray, which almost made up for Pete's... individuality. 

Still, Frank was lonely.

"You know what you need?" Pete said one morning, slinging an arm jauntily across Frank's shoulders as they sat side by side on Frank's too-small couch.

"Some new friends." Frank muttered.

Pete grinned at him, "Well, yes, maybe, but what I was going to say was a girlfriend."

Frank made a face. "Ew, no way. Girls are gross?"

Pete looked at him in surprise. "I didn't know you were gay!"

Frank groaned. "I'm not gay. Boys are gross too."

Pete mocked offence. "Well thank you very much!"

"I didn't mean you. Well, I did, you are really gross, but like, I dont want to date a boy. Or a girl. Or anyone."

Pete looked amazed. "You don't want to date anyone? But you've got to want to date someone!"

"Well, actually, no I don't. I think I'm actually asexual."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I don't wanna date anyone."

"Well, actually that's not quite true." 

Both Frank and Pete jumped at the new voice. Frank turned to see Mikey Way, Ray's boyfriend, leaning jauntily against the doorframe of Ray's bedroom in only his boxers.

"Well how would you know? You're certainly not asexual, or at least you weren't last night," Frank shot at him.

Mikey smirked at him. "No, I'm not, but my sibling is."

Ray's head appeared behind Mikey's shoulder and his arms snake around Mikey's waist. "I didn't know you had any brothers or sisters, Mikes."

"I don't. I have a sibling. Their name is Gerard, and they're non-binary and asexual."

Ray made a soft "ohh" of understanding, but Frank and Pete exchanged glances, baffled.

"Um, I dont think I understood half of the words you just used." Frank said, apologetically.

"It means that basically they- at least I think that- you know what, Gee can probably explain it better themself."

"Uh-" Frank said, still confused.

Mikey's phone was in his hand and he was dialing a number before Frank had even followed what he was doing. Mikey held the phone up to his ear and waited expectantly.

"Hi Gee!" His face split into a smile.

"Yeah, I know, I'm sorry, I- what? Gee it's like ten o'clock-"

"It's twenty past." Pete cut in helpfully.

"Thanks, Pete, yeah it's twenty past. It's not that late. Listen, Gerard, I'm at Ray's and one of his flatmates is having a sexuality crisis, can you help him out?"

"I'm not having a-"

"Yeah I know but he's cute!" Mikey winked at the phone, then looked around, embarrassed, as though hoping none of them had noticed. Ray chuckled and pressed a kiss to his cheek. Mikey blushed.

"Yeah I know it's not the- Christ, I was joking, Gee! Yeah okay, how about today?" Mikey looked up from his phone and addressed Frank, "Are you busy this lunch time?"

"Yes, I-"

"No he's not." Pete cut in, looking at Frank smugly.

"Okay great!" Mikey grinned, "how about that coffee shop on New Street?" He looked up at Frank as he hung up the phone with a grin on his face.

"What-"

"I just got you a date with my sibling!"

"But I just said-"

"It's lunchtime at Scarlatti's, and don't worry it's not a real date if you don't want it to be!"

"But I'm supposed to be meeting Bren-" Mikey had already turned around, following Ray back into his room and closing the door.

"Don't worry," said Pete, placing a conciliatory hand on Frank's shoulder, "I can blow Brendon off for you if you like."

Frank stared around in disbelief as Pete got to his feet and picked up the phone, unable to comprehend that his friends would betray him like this.

***

Somehow, Frank found himself outside Scarlatti's coffee shop at twenty to one that afternoon. He looked down at his scruffy shoes and then looked helplessly round at Pete, who he knew was watching shamelessly from his car, parked a few metres down the street. Pete waved encouragingly, at least it was probably encouraging, it was difficult to tell as his face was all but obscured by the rearview mirror.

Frank sighed, pushed open the door to the café and stepped inside. Instantly, he was met with a wave of delicious coffee scented air. He breathed in deeply almost on instinct, then looked around for the person he was meant to be meeting.

Mikey had told him he would recognise Gerard the instant he saw them, as they were very noticeable. Frank swept the room with his eyes for a moment before he alit on a head of bright red hair. The alabaster face beneath the hair looked up as Frank saw it and he was met with an intense pair of hazel eyes. The mouth that belonged to the face curled up into an adorable smile.

"Frank?" Called the person across the room. Frank smiled in return and nodded, crossing the coffee shop to sit at the table opposite them.

"Gerard, is it?"

"Yeah, Gerard, 'male' name but they/them pronouns." Gerard introduced themself quickly.

"Got it." Frank smiled.

"So, Mikey said you were having a sexuality crisis?"

"I- well not exactly. Mikey wasn't even part of that conversation!"

"What conversation?"

"Pete was trying to set me up with someone but I said I'm asexual so I can't be in a relationship with anyone."

"When you say asexual do you mean you don't find people attractive?"

Frank hesitated, "Well, no..."

"There's different kinds of attraction. Sexual attraction means you dont want to have sex with someone, romantic attraction means you want to date someone. But the two don't have to go together." Gerard gave him a small smile.

"Wait..." Frank took a moment to process this. "If you're asexual can you still have romantic attraction?"

"You can. I'm asexual androromantic, which means I experience romantic attraction towards men but not sexual attraction."

"Can someone not experience any kind of attraction?"

"Yes, it's called aromantic asexuality."

"I- okay. What do you call it if you're aromantic but you're sexually attracted to anyone?"

"Aromantic pansexual."

"Aromantic pansexual..." Frank toyed with the words then looked up to meet Gerard's gaze with a shy smile. "That sounds good. That sounds like me."

Gerard's face lit up as they smiled happily. "I'm glad I was able to help you find a label you're comfortable with."

"Yeah, thank you so much. I was beginning to feel like I was broken or something."

"You're not broken." Gerard looked at him sternly and he giggled.

"Yeah. I know that now. Can you tell me about your gender?"

Gerard smiled and began to speak. Frank felt his stomach squirm happily at how easy it was to make them smile and realised he wanted to see that smile more often.


End file.
